"Overall it was a very good qualification. We won eight out of nine games and the ninth should have been a win, too," he told reporters. "So we can be satisfied."The team did their duty. Against Ireland we stayed patient and created chances at the right times." "After the break we had some minutes where we were too relaxed and we did not look good in two or three situations.""Little things must improve and I see two points: We have to be more stable defensively and play better in the final third."

"We have shown once again that we were the measure of all things in this group," he said"It was a very good qualification. From nine games we have won eight, so we can be satisfied.We are a good footballing team and it was a great evening."Low held special praise for two of his key players in the win over Ireland, goalscorer Ozil and Toni Kroos, who created two of the three goals on the evening."Kroos was exceptionally good," he said."Ozil should at times drop deep because it suits the Irish if one man is constantly at the top (of the formation)."

"I look at previous campaigns, especially during Euro 2012. The team is more solid, more stable and more compact in defence.""I used this campaign to make my team more stable. It hinges around the opponent you play, they will have a major role in making games attractive or nice to watch for the spectators.""Of course we do have some things to tackle. Defensively, there is room for improvement. But the matches against Austria and today really came close to perfection."

"We've still got to stabilise our defence more," he told ARD television. "We've kept another clean sheet, which is good, but we can improve." - from from fifa.com

"We experimented with him a little and he didn't have a lot of opportunities during the game, but took his chance well at the end," said Löw of Ozil. "I had told Andre [Schürrle] before the game that I expect a bit more from him - and he showed me that with his goal," said Löw. - from nst

"It was one of the most deserved victories ever. The team have done their best to finish their attacking moves. Ireland were playing very defensively but from a football point of view my team did exactly right.""Robbie Keane asked me why I didn't shake Noel King's hand and I said "hey Robbie of course I will do that later on but first of all, because of the joy and demands of the occasion, I want to go on the pitch and give my players high fives". I did that and only then did I shake Noel King's hand." - Joachim Löw explained.

"It will not happen today and it will not happen tomorrow," Löw said."It is true we have had a first discussion (with the DFB) and talked about the general parameters and I think we can find an agreement.""We've always said we'll wait for the qualification and then we'll talk about it.""Reaching the World Cup is an exciting development and we've thoroughly deserved it."

"We wanted to wrap it up against Ireland, and we gave a performance to match. We had the game under control and the victory was fully merited. Yet again, we showed that we set the standards in this group. But obviously, it's difficult against a team that basically pulls ten men back to the edge of their own penalty area. However, we were patient and we found good solutions." - from an interview on dfb.de.

Joachim Löw macht Mario Götze fit für die Bayern - 10 October 2013Despite opinions to the contrary from Uli Hoeness (in one of his now apparent customary pre-international break criticisms, Jogi has spoken of the benefits in having Mario Götze called up for the German squad, and Mario has now spoken of his pleasure in being invited."I just wanted to invite Mario, because he is an important player to me. We could have made a different decision. Normally I would say maybe it's better if a player without much match practice remains at home. Bayern, however, have no players staying behind, and therefore he might end up training alone." said Jogi at the press conference yesterday. He stressed Mario's importance in the coming months, and added he would always be able to count on him for 15-20 minutes if required against Ireland.

"We have a good feeling" said Joachim Löw, telling the media in Düsseldorf how they wanted to secure qualification on Friday, in front of their own supporters. He spoke of his fond memories of Cologne and how he hoped the club would soon return to the top tier of the Bundesliga.

It was not all niceties, however, and Jogi had strong words for those who had criticised him in recent weeks, leaving them in no doubt that it is he in charge!

Der nette Herr Löw kann auch andersHittng back on Götze - "It is still my decision who I nominate"Kiessling - referring to the "Kolumnen selbsternannter Bundestrainers"Hummels - "The fact that you cannot criticise the DFB is new to me" and accusations of favouritism - "Give me a good reason why I should discriminate against Dortmund players. I do not know of any."

Löw: "Kein Fähnchen im Wind""A coach should not be a flag waving in the wind*," he said "but make his own decisions independent of surveys or the columns of self-proclaimed Bundestrainers." (throwing a possible aside to certain publications and ex-players who have seemingly inundated us with such pointless exercises recently!)

"They did not show their true face in Dublin, we managed to exploit a few weaknesses they don't usually show, but when they go away from home, they defend incredibly well," said Löw at a press conference.

Far from being patronising, Löw spoke with clear conviction as if he had just completed a thesis on why Irish football has never really changed through the decades - and, according to him, why it never will."They will never play any kind of holding game or pass it around like Barcelona do - you will never see any Irish team playing like that, so it doesn't really matter who coaches them," said Löw."It really doesn't matter who plays for Ireland or who wears an Ireland shirt because, at the end of the day, they are more or less similar. They all play the same way and it's in their DNA that they all play the Irish way.""This is how we've known the Irish for all these years. They always fight to the end until they drop dead on the pitch and it doesn't really matter if they are 1-0 down or 3-0 down, giving up is just not an option.""Also, it is in their tradition and their mentality that they have a never-say-die attitude, which is reflected in Gaelic football and rugby, so there is a great physicality to their game."

"Philip is probably the only player in Germany who can play all positions. He can change from right to left without any problems at all. When he is given a position, he plays it well.""Philip is excellent in midfielder but we have many players for this position. He's the best full-back in the world. My plan to use him at right-back."

(On Max Kruse) "Players who drop in between the lines are key nowadays," explained Löw. "I prefer strikers who are flexible and able to vary their play up front. Max Kruse has impressed me greatly during his time in the national set-up with his composure on the ball, work ethic, agility and eye for goal. He took a big step forward with us in the USA." - from bundesliga.com

(On Mesut Özil) "I saw him play his first home game and he created all three goals and the fans really took to him," Löw said."You got the feeling that Arsenal's technically strong game needed a player like him, and it suits him down to the ground.""He was a pivot in the team and Arsenal's highly-cultured game is very good for him. He is a player who always wants the ball." from skysports.com

(On Stefan Kiessling) "If necessary I do have Stefan's number, and I don't have a problem changing my opinion," he added."I know I can come back to him, that's why I didn't close the door". - from goal.com

"We have no problem with each other. It is my right as coach to select who I want, but I see Mats on a very high level. He is an outstanding defender.""He still has to work with us on some details, but he has class and has developed into one of the best centre-backs around - although he is not currently playing.""We have grown and professionally we are happy. I accept constructive criticism and it is not true that somebody will not play because he expresses an opinion."

Other points from press conference:- Thomas Müller can play in a central-striking role, or just behind the striker, but we like him best on the right-wing.- Asked about the changes in football since he took over in 2006.

Löw verzichtet auf weitere Nachrücker - 8 October 2013As the squad assembled in Düsseldorf, Joachim Löw has said that he does not feel it necessary to call up any further players unless there are any injuries during the upcoming training sessions, adding that they have plenty of options in defence, midfield and attack.

(On Tuesday's conversation with Stefan Kiessling) "I told him I'm counting on Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose as strikers firstly and behind them are one or two other players that I want to test this year," Loew said in an interview on the German football federation's website (see video link below). "I told him I can't see the future, I don't know what will happen next year, but if I were to nominate him for the World Cup - if one of the other players isn't in form over a long period or is injured - he'd be prepared to step in. I think that's class."Löw said he was aware of what the 29-year-old Kiessling offers, and that he respects the player's performances in the Bundesliga."It wouldn't really be fair on him if he was called up once and then sent away. He has scored a lot of goals, he's almost 30, and from there we've established that, if he's needed by me and the national team, he's available," Löw said.-

Quoted on the dfb.de website, 4 October 2013, Jogi spoke of his pleasure in the return of Bastian Schweinsteiger in particular the importance of his leadership skills and also welcomed the return of Mario Götze "Mario has a longer break behind him, and now he again needs match practice and to find his rhythm." On his upcoming Irish opponents he said, "Everyone knows about the fighting strength and passion of the Irish, against which we must be fully focused from the first minute. Ireland will be highly motivated against us and will concede nothing."

He also countered recent criticisms from Borussia Dortmund of bias against their players "This is totally absurb. We have set ourselves high goals. We want to be World Champions" and stressed that as a coach he considered himself completely neutral. from Eurosport

"Our starting position in the group is good," said Löw, whose team needs two points to secure top spot and a place in next year's World Cup in Brazil."We have a lot of trust in the players we have nominated and want to quickly qualify for Brazil," said the German."Our clear aim is to seal our ticket with a win against Ireland in front of a home crowd," said Löw.

Predictably in the light of the build-up to the team announcement, there was more focus by most on those excluded than those who had made the squad.No call up for Kiessling as Löw names just one striker for final qualifiersDespite leaving Kiessling out at a time when many might have thought it the perfect time to give him another chance, Löw said the door was still open a crack that could, in theory at least, see the Leverkusen striker recalled for next summer's World Cup finals in Brazil. In a video posted on the German FA's website, Löw said he had informed Kiessling of his decision earlier in the week, and that Kiessling had agreed to be available for the World Cup finals, should Germany need him."He will make himself available, and I think that's great. I know what he can do. I also respect his performances in the Bundesliga," Löw said.

Klose kaputt - Löw mit Sorgen - 26 September 2013Germany forward Miroslav Klose could miss the World Cup qualifiers against Ireland and Sweden next month after undergoing foot surgery late on Wednesday, Germany coach Joachim Loew said on Thursday."I have been informed about his surgery and will directly speak with him," Löw said of Klose, who plays for Italian club Lazio.Lazio said on its website Klose would start his recovery immediately after the surgery. Klose's Germany team mate Mario Gomez has already been ruled out of those games with a knee injury."I still do not know what kind of impact his absence will have on the nominations for the games against Ireland and Sweden. I will name the squad at the end of next week," Löw said.

Last updated 6 February 2014With thanks to everyone on the Group for their contributions, especially Silke, Xinwei, Susanne, Sonia, Sandra, Elfriede and Nic. Anything else you think I should include on this page? Let me know!